Why Nokia is sticking with windows?

(Almost) Every handset provider has sided with android but Nokia..why it is trying to get itself out of the market..it must have changed its decision by now..they are not doing so well in market since Android era and handsets we have in its competition are too great to be in its competition. Nokia was used to be my favorite brand but its just annoying and disturbing to see it struggling with their "lumia"..What could be the reason behind this?

Funny, I was talking to my boyfriend about that these days. Nokia would come back to life if they partned up with Android. Maybe it's a matter of money. They'd get much more with Android, though.
I just wonder: do they have as much options and facilities as we do?

1. Microsoft is the second richest company in the world after Apple. It used to be richest until last month. In the deal they made with Nokia, the latter won't be using Android and MS will give them a huge fat check every quarter. I think they were given 250million last quarter.

2. Actually, Samsung is like the only Android manufacturer actually raking in cash. HTC isn't exactly doing so well, as their quarterly earnings report last month shows that they've experienced a 70% decrease in income since the same quarter last year, and they're already the second biggest Android manufacturer at that.

3. Windows is still young. Remember, the only time that Android actually started becoming a threat to Apple was with the rolling out of the Galaxy S and the subsequent 2.2 Froyo update. Before that Android was still trying hard to catch up to sales. That was about 4 generations of Android before the big climb started and Nokia's market share was eaten into by Samsung. So far we've seen 3 Windows OS generations for the mobile market.

4. Windows actually shows so much promise. Apps that are so well integrated into the device that iOS falls to shame, and a level of open-ness that while not comparable to Android, is enough to give freedom to developers and their ideas.

5. And personally, I'd prefer a 3-horse race. More competition should push more innovation.

The Chinese companies have an interesting habit of releasing some phones at cost or below cost, stating a willingness to take the short-term monetary hit for the long-term brand loyalty and recognition. Given that they are producing great flagship phones in 2012 and are on track to continue this in 2013, but for half of what unlocked flagships would cost elsewhere in the world, the mainstream makers may want to take notice and take notes.

Oppo Find 5: $485
Meizu MX2: $415
Xiaomi MI-2: $310

My point is that if Nokia wants to really turn their ship around, they ought to consider pricing their next flagship more aggressively and reproduce the build quality that made them famous with the 3000 and 6000 series. Give people a reason to buy these phones that is more than a simple "Do you want Windows Phone 8? Check yes or no." It's unlikely they can price down a phone as low as the aforementioned Chinese examples, but they can certainly put out a $500 or less flagship (call it $50 on contract) and $250 or less midrange (free on contract or with rebate).

I think Nokia's two biggest mistakes right now are being exclusively Windows Phone and not producing the build quality that made them famous years ago. Make the phones meme-worthy again!

Nokia felt that they had a better opportunity to capitalise on their strengths by going Windows Phone over Android or Symbian/MeeGo. I had the Nokia N97. Although I consider it the worse smartphone ever, it still had a few things that impressed me at the time that I would have liked to see from other manufacturers.

One thing that was very good on the N97 was Ovi Maps, Nokia's mapping app. You can use it offline navigation and it has lane guidance. These are the two features I would love to see on Google Maps.

Nokia lost me with the N97 and the subsequent E7 was not good enough compared to the HTC Desire Z which I ended up getting at the time. Still, if Nokia made an Android phone, I will definitely consider it. The main thing holding the N97 back was the crappy software. The only reason I kept it for 7 month was Ovi Maps and Opera Mini. Finally I had enough and left. The N97 still has the best landscape slider keyboard I have used by far.

I have not been impressed with Windows Phone. It has nothing that would make me want to make a jump from Android.

The Chinese companies have an interesting habit of releasing some phones at cost or below cost, stating a willingness to take the short-term monetary hit for the long-term brand loyalty and recognition. Given that they are producing great flagship phones in 2012 and are on track to continue this in 2013, but for half of what unlocked flagships would cost elsewhere in the world, the mainstream makers may want to take notice and take notes.

Oppo Find 5: $485
Meizu MX2: $415
Xiaomi MI-2: $310

My point is that if Nokia wants to really turn their ship around, they ought to consider pricing their next flagship more aggressively and reproduce the build quality that made them famous with the 3000 and 6000 series. Give people a reason to buy these phones that is more than a simple "Do you want Windows Phone 8? Check yes or no." It's unlikely they can price down a phone as low as the aforementioned Chinese examples, but they can certainly put out a $500 or less flagship (call it $50 on contract) and $250 or less midrange (free on contract or with rebate).

I think Nokia's two biggest mistakes right now are being exclusively Windows Phone and not producing the build quality that made them famous years ago. Make the phones meme-worthy again!

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They have the build quality. You can use the Lumia 900 to hammer a nail into wood and it still works with no scratches on the glass.

The chinese manufacturers are able to price less because they spend less on the production of those phones. Not only do they not do the research needed for it such as developing drivers and innovative software and apps (often such phones you mention run almost stock android), they don't spend for OS upgrades via OTA or PC. You're stuck with what you have. Samsung and HTC spend for additional software development even after the phone is sold.

I saw that done with the Oppo Find, not the Lumia. If you have used it, would you be confident enough to not wrap it in a case? That's the ultimate litmus test for phone durability.

I would tend to disagree about the lack of technical and software innovation. Xiaomi's MIUI and Meizu's Flyme are anything but stock and give some neat functionality to Android that I wish others would use (I'm better versed in Flyme, which has SPDIF audio and the best web browser I've used on an Android device). Meizu has been great about OTA system updates; I can't speak for the others.

They have the build quality. You can use the Lumia 900 to hammer a nail into wood and it still works with no scratches on the glass.

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I can't get over just how expensive the Lumia 900 is here. It's more expensive than the iPhone 4S, and is only available with an expensive mandatory two-year contract. I do not understand what Nokia and Microsoft are trying to achieve by doing this. Nokia is basically a byword for cheap reliable candy-bar phones in China, totally unlike Apple.

The chinese manufacturers are able to price less because they spend less on the production of those phones. Not only do they not do the research needed for it such as developing drivers and innovative software and apps (often such phones you mention run almost stock android), they don't spend for OS upgrades via OTA or PC. You're stuck with what you have.

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Many of the little known cheapo brands in China, usually operating out of Shenzhen, can be like that sure. That's why I usually don't recommend that people buy them, and we do have a forum sticky about it. However there are exceptions, namely Lenovo, Huawei, ZTE, Meizu and Coolpad.

The Meizu MX and MX2 are certainly not running stock Android... flyme.cn ...and Meizu do support their products. My Lenovo is not really stock Android either and is very well supported. Lenovo even operates its own app store.

Many of the little known cheapo brands in China, usually operating out of Shenzhen, can be like that sure. That's why I usually don't recommend that people buy them, and we do have a forum sticky about it. However there are exceptions, namely Lenovo, Huawei, ZTE, Meizu and Coolpad.

The Meizu MX and MX2 are certainly not running stock Android... flyme.cn ...and Meizu do support their products. My Lenovo is not really stock Android either and is very well supported. Lenovo even operates its own app store.

Samsung doesn't always support and update products, like with country restrictions or whatever. I know that from experience.

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I may have been misinterpreted. I forgot that Lenovo, Acer and HTC were Chinese. But anyway, the other brands like Huawei and ZTE aren't really well known outside China. I was referring to the cheaper brands. But then, i don't see those brands like Meizu sporting innovations like multi-window and stuff. Plus, they have to price aggressively otherwise they won't make it in the market. I know for sure that apple is severely over priced, and to some extent HTC and Samsung, but not to the same level, especially since they offer services that other cheaper manufacturers don't. Samsung Dive is an example.

But anyway, the other brands like Huawei and ZTE aren't really well known outside China.

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I thought they were very well known outside of China. We even have forums on AF for the ZTE Blade, Engage, Flash, etc. Same with the Huawei Ascend, etc. ZTE and Huawei(both Chinese) have a huge international telecoms presence, with phones, 3G modems, plant, switching, transmission, etc. In fact apparently the US Govt. isn't too happy about it.

I was referring to the cheaper brands. But then, i don't see those brands like Meizu sporting innovations like multi-window and stuff. Plus, they have to price aggressively otherwise they won't make it in the market. I know for sure that apple is severely over priced, and to some extent HTC and Samsung, but not to the same level, especially since they offer services that other cheaper manufacturers don't. Samsung Dive is an example.

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The cheapo unknown brands is what you normally see on Ebay and sold by Chinese wholesalers, That have no official distribution and support channels outside of China, and they often don't have much support inside of China either.

Isn't multi-windowing something that's only happened with 4.1 and 4.2? - a feature of the Android OS? I don't think Huawei and ZTE are pricing their phones aggressively outside of China, AFAICT they can just as expensive their Taiwanese and Korean counterparts in the UK.

Lenovo doesn't do much with cell-phones outside of Asia, but everyone knows their PCs and laptops of course(they bought IBM's PC division). Lenovo does offer a cloud storage service for their Android phones, similar to Samsung Dive.

We used to laugh at Japanese cars...we don't now.
We used to laugh at Korean cars...we don't now.
We laugh at Chinese cars.....
Same thing goes for tech.

chanchan, have you ever used a Meizu or Xiaomi phone? I would try to get some time on one before stating that they don't innovate. I already gave two examples for Flyme (SPDIF audio, which no other phone has, and the best Android web browser I've used). MIUI is similarly creative in how it operates. Both store apps in an unusual way and Flyme has a fantastic onboard file manager. Heck, look at what BBK is coming out with.

Meizu and Lenovo have their own app stores. I don't know for sure if there is a general MIUI app store, but I think there is. I don't speak Chinese and can't make use of these app stores, but conveniently enough my MX (like virtually all current Chinese phones) comes with Google Play Store already on it.

My point with all of this is not to say the Chinese are the be all, end all of smartphone makers, but they are doing a whole lot right and they're doing it very quickly. Many only came into the smartphone business within the last few years. Companies like Nokia, who are struggling right now, would do well to borrow from some of the business tactics of these quality Chinese companies to get their name out there again in a positive light. The only ways to do that, though, will be to either price very aggressively to make people more financially interested in trying a Windows phone, or to lose the exclusivity and offer Android phones too. Since they're too tied up in Microsoft to lose the Windows 8 exclusivity, they pretty much have to lower their prices to stay relevant and to grow interest in Windows 8 (before anyone says they can't lower prices too much, remember just how high the markup is on most of these phones).

I thought they were very well known outside of China. We even have forums on AF for the ZTE Blade, Engage, Flash, etc. Same with the Huawei Ascend, etc. ZTE and Huawei(both Chinese) have a huge international telecoms presence, with phones, 3G modems, plant, switching, transmission, etc. In fact apparently the US Govt. isn't too happy about it.

Isn't multi-windowing something that's only happened with 4.1 and 4.2? - a feature of the Android OS? I don't think Huawei and ZTE are pricing their phones aggressively outside of China, AFAICT they can just as expensive their Taiwanese and Korean counterparts in the UK.

Lenovo doesn't do much with cell-phones outside of Asia, but everyone knows their PCs and laptops of course(they bought IBM's PC division). Lenovo does offer a cloud storage service for their Android phones, similar to Samsung Dive.

We used to laugh at Japanese cars...we don't now.
We used to laugh at Korean cars...we don't now.
We laugh at Chinese cars.....
Same thing goes for tech.

Click to expand...

1. Nope. I only heard of ZTE lately with a fiasco they had with our govt, and before i only knew of Huawei as the guys who make internet dongles.

2. Nope. Samsung demoed it on the prototype Note 10.1 they had last March, before Jellybean even launched. It was running ICS at the time.

Huawei is good about updating their phones in the rest of the world. Here in the States, the carriers don't seem to be interested in updating anything except the flagship phones from the big manufacturers.